Illawarra Hawks’ new import Cedric Jackson hadn’t seen much other than the inside of gymnasiums since arriving in the region recently. So we thought the Illawarra Mercury should help show him a bit of what the Illawarra region truly has to offer. Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh acted as tour guide and took Jackson on a scenic tour during a spectacular winter’s day. The tour started with an overview of the city of Wollongong from Mount Keira, a gaze along the coastline from the Bald Hill Lookout and then they took a stroll along the Sea Cliff Bridge. The tour finished down at Killalea State Park with a local echidna even taking the time to say g’day to the new Hawk. The three-time NBL championship guard will be crucial as the Hawks head into the 2018-19 National Basketball League season. The Hawks will play the Sydney Kings in a pre-season game next weekend in a soldout game at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Local fans will get their first real chance to view the new-look Hawks when they take on the Kings again at the WIN Entertainment Centre on September 16. You can view the video and more images of Ced’s tour of the Illawarra online at our website illawarramercury.com.au Read more: Hawks early insight into stopping Andrew Bogut.